Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-17
THE OPPOSITE GARDEN.
lCompiete !


cat Sitting at my window writing, every
time raised my eyes, there in the oppo-
! site garden was the black cat up to some
uncanny trick. Creeping through the
| grass. her eye fixed, slow, cautious, with
out steps, but like q snake, with noise
! less Hndulstions of her body, she steals
! upon her prey. Shoe! shoe. l involun-
tarily start up and shake a sheet Of paper
| out Of the window. Unwary, unlucky
! sparrow! Not a bit of it. There is not
! thing there. The cat IS only practicing
one of her tricks, at BIT Of diversion,
| for she suddenly loses her caution, tOsses
| her head, gives spring into the sir,
another, rolls over IN the grass, stretches
herself out, bssking and Qurring in the
| sun; and l return to my writing. Pres
emily, in search of inspiration, my eyes
again wander to the opposite garden.
, There is the black cat. On the fence this
| time Her tail curled over her back and
! her body arched inquiringly, her
| yellow circled eyes waxing and
waning, shine at me like two
| evil-minded suns. I stare back st her,
/ being in desperate state Of vapidity.
Yes, / mu.ter, | VIII make any kind Of
| bargain with you in exchange for an idea,
| end Ilstare her down, She takes q soft step
! or two, leaps to a shady place this time,
Curls herself up and shuts her eyes; and
! return to my writing. Evidently l have
struck an Internal bargain with the black
witch, for my pen goes glibly. Next time
1 lock up, the shadow of the little tree on
| the opposite sidewalk extends far back
into the garden; every object stands out
with sharp distinCtneSs, q long black
shadow back Of it like q ghost; the air
looks vivid, irridesCent-an expiring, Gpn-
centrated brightness before the dusk of
evening comes on; faint TOsiness lies
on the gray east, the horizon is g dim and
exquisite line. l can imagine the gOr-
geousness, the millennium going on in
the west. The sun and clouds
have It al to themselves, and We on the
reverse side catch glow. The breezes
come with irregular puffs into the trees,
setting the ailanthus leaves to playing on
the sir like so many fingers on g piano.
The NAPLES and elmS toss their arms
gently and fash up the white underside
of their leaves, until they look in bloom
with silver flowers. Little white clouds,
that have been browsing COntentedly in
the blue sky all day, pink and delighted
are tiuttering away somewhere, to the
west no doubt, to SINCE their feeciness,
lose their prettiness-if they don't
evaporate on the way-be swallowed, land
yes, l suppose so, add to the splendOr
and triumph over there. YOa had better
| stay where you are, be content, let We'll
! enough alone; and lean laZily on the
sill, half out of the window, and catch q
| bree re or two in my hair, and cool, be-
WitChing Caress at my throat. eyes, you
| breezes, We are good friends" and fling
out my hands to them and they slip
| through my hot fingers and return again,
and like soft, invisible wings folding and
unfolding they lfnger tamely about. l
settle myself cOmfOrr ably on the sill with
| them and watch the hurrying pink clouds.
Go on if you like, you are no account OF
! yourself, dare say your individual pretti-
ness counts for nothing, exists only to
| Consummate that unmatched loneliness in
the west. Go if you like, but not one
moment for what you ere, but for what
you can bring, eternal beauty, truth, like
a whirlpool, drags you in. For my part,
have no idea of casting myself in the
! curlings. evolution of those clouds. IN
easy, afraid-pshawl But have care
! to my own enlargement, COlOring. l have
no idea of surrendering, drowning my
|
shade. Feel my own existence. l am
very tranquil. Very careless, ignorant,
| Incomplete, in pretty fog of egotism.
Well, it's delicious. kwon't stir step.
| And l pillow my head on my
arm, and with feeling of gOOd-felloWship
and protection, rest against the calm and
beauty of the evening, and feel strong in
| it's embrace. It's the life of breeze, a
piece of the day, earnestness without eff
fort. Always running ones feet off.
! One must not get anxious about things
to enjoy them. Keep quiet and keep
! cool -. My eyes fell on the opposite
! garden. The black cat was lot there.
! Only one of the shutters of the house was
open. 1t was a house with 8 side en-
trance and the end, with its one open win
! dow, was levelled at you like telescope.
! The blind where the shutter was open,
was drawn up half way, and the window
was open about two inches from the bot
tom. Sitting close against the window,
like a silhouette, was a woman tanning
herself. Now and then she turned and
peered out. l watched the quick, regular
motion of the fan, and wondered why on
earth she didn't open the window and
get the air, and stop that incessant fan
ming. Presently she did open the window,
put her head and looked straight
up at me, beckOned with her fan
and then pstted it. 1 started with kind
of terror. What do you want with me?
l got back in the room, but still watched
her. She sat straight, tanning in that
same incessant way. Had she really beck
oned? Impossible, but there she was
again waving her fan and patting it sig
nifiCantlY. No mistake this time I felt
an unpleasant motion about the roots OF
my hair, drew the curtain down, bathed
my face, put aside the thick manuscript
with rather doubtful, misspent feeling
You basilisk, evil eye, you have cast 8
spell upon it, and l turn with a vague
feeling of antagonism from the window
and that opposite garden. 1t was good
enough moment ago, not the kind one
falls in love With-pshaw! but good
| enough. l bundle the whole UnIuCky
thing into a drawer, aud go down to the
front steps. The children about, the
pleasant, commonplace talk going on over
the fence with the neighbors on
both sides, the easy plans, the
Hghtness - the obtainableness Of
things in general is delightful. An IN.
easy, constrained feeling takes itself of
nimbIy. There were three young
ladies in the garden opposite, dressed in
pink lawns and white muslins, and red
faced, middle aged gentleman leaning
back in his garden chair. He 5eamed
benevoientIY on the house and garden,
the pretty geranium beds and the three
girls playing with the hose. They were
all evidently mis- own. How much further
went his sight than that circle of his own